If my entire family wants a dog but I don't, it won't work, right?

[Anonymous]

Try fostering. Tell you kid he has to help. See how you feel about having a dog around.

[Anonymous]

I don't understand why anyone would want a pet. Just pointless to pick up dog poo or vomit, plus having to deal with the $$$. Life with children and elderly parents is challenging enough! Don't add a dog to your stress.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I don't understand why anyone would want a pet. Just pointless to pick up dog poo or vomit, plus having to deal with the $$$. Life with children and elderly parents is challenging enough! Don't add a dog to your stress.

I’d say pets can help with stress. When my dad was ill, I’d be up in the middle of the night worrying and unable to sleep. This went on for months. Our sweet cat always stayed up with me - every single time. He’d be snuggly soft and purring. He always seemed to know when one of us was stressed and needed him. I miss that sweet cat so much.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Try fostering. Tell you kid he has to help. See how you feel about having a dog around.

This. Go the foster route and use it as a test.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Let me save you the trouble of wondering what it will be like to have a dog. Most DHs and kids won't pick up poop if they can avoid it or clean up vomit or pee. Kids promise to walk the dog, but usually don't so mom or dad have to do it. Most of the work ends up falling on mom. Travel--even a day trip--becomes problematic when you have a dog. Leave the dogs to people who actually want them. They deserve that much.

We loved our dog, but the travel and cleaning issues are true. If you want a dog, maybe calculate the date your youngest kid will head to college and subtract 15 years ie get a dog when your kid is 3. Or adopt a 7 year old dog. If you get a young dog when your kid is 10, your empty nest travel years will be constrained by the dog.

[Anonymous]

1) When I was little I really wanted a dog and my mother didn't. Parents finally relented and got a dog when I was 8. The whole family adored the dog. My mom who was truly indifferent to the idea of the dog was totally in love and cried for days when the dog died.
2) I was repulsed by cats but my children (including a college-age one) lobbied for a cat. We got a cat and now I am in love with the cat. She just makes everything better. She saved our sanity during the pandemic. She curls up on my desk when I work and snuggled up to me.
Just saying

[Anonymous]

I wonder if you might want an older SMALL dog? Sometimes I think id like being a dog owner more if mine was not 75 pounds and doesn’t listen to me. I feel like a smaller dog, and one who takes to training easily, might be more your style.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I don't understand why anyone would want a pet. Just pointless to pick up dog poo or vomit, plus having to deal with the $$$. Life with children and elderly parents is challenging enough! Don't add a dog to your stress.

I folded on this, and now I love our dog. It does add some more stress you are right, another thing to tell kids to do, but overall they are good, and overall having a dog has reduced stress in the household in the last year. We owe him one.

[Anonymous]

Usually the family member who doesn't want the dog is the one who ends up most attached to it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I wonder if you might want an older SMALL dog? Sometimes I think id like being a dog owner more if mine was not 75 pounds and doesn’t listen to me. I feel like a smaller dog, and one who takes to training easily, might be more your style.

My dog is seven pounds, and oy the attitude. But yes, it's much easier than if she was a 75 pound diva.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Offer to "pet sit" for a friend's dog when they go on vacation. Even a responsible kid will lose enthusiasm for pet chores after a short time, and then it will all fall on you.

We did this. It is the way to go. The Suze Orman method, but with dogs